Please realize there are differences between every therapist, clinic, and setting; and there is overlap between the two professions. On an inpatient setting (in hospital) PT will focus more on getting in and out of bed, balance, walking, and exercises. OT focuses on activities of living such as dressing bathing eating. They also focus on perceptual and fine motor (buttoning, tying shoes) activities. OT?s often make splints for the hands or the arm.

In out patient, some clinics have OT?s who specialize in hand treatments (PT?s can specialize too). PT?s treat the whole person and we tend to specialize in treatment of the spine.

I would recommend that you observe both professions. Many hospitals and private clinics will allow students to observe. I think this is the best way you can get a feel for both professions and decide which you would enjoy the most!

IF you are looking into orthopedics I would defineltly choose PT over OT. PT is much more diverse and can do everything an OT can do.

It really all comes down to your level of training and your willingness to learn. Unfortunatley, my schooling didn't spend a whole lot of time focussing on the hand so I am going back now to learn more.

OT's as far as I can see are more utilized in school settings working with fine motor coordination activities such as writing and tying shoes.

...i would agree with both Daniel and Kathy that you should spend some quality time shadowing both disciplines and get a first hand look and feel for what each brings to the allied health field. Both disciplines treat persons and not parts so avoid such references and realize that there are multiple fields within each discipline that either can specialize in.

i.e. Occupational Therapists (OTs) work throughout the spectrum of care treating infants in intensive care to the aging population in nursing homes. They specialize in multiple fields such as Vision Rehab, Wheel Chair Seating and Positioning, Aquatics, Vestibular Rehab, Assistive Technology, Environmental Modifications, Sensory Integration, Hand Therapy, Splinting and Orthotics, Spinal Chord and Neuro Rehab, Activities of Daily Living, Ergonomics, Industrial Rehab etc etc. They also are extremely involved with the psychiatric and developmentally delayed population.

i.e. Physical Therapist frequently work in many of the same areas as mentioned earlier with additional specialty areas in orthopedics, Balance Training, Gait Analysis and Training, Orthotics, Spine Care, Manual Therapy, Strength and Conditioning, Cardiac Rehab, Amputee Rehab, Pelvic Floor Rehab, etc etc. Also you will find these professionals throughout the continumn of care treating infants and adults.

Both disciplines work in like settings and often as a team in home health, hospitals, school systems, outpatient clinics, nursing care centers etc.

Keep an open mind and investigate both. They are terrific professions and both are members of the allied health field with a focus on treating whole people and not simply their parts:

Good luck and take your time. It is a win win situation for you and your future patients.

One other suggestion is to go to both professional association websites and become familiar with the code of ethics and standards of practice and how each professional organization governs and assists the professionals, the APTA website is loaded with excellent resources and posts, while the AOTA is very proactive about continuing education.

In either case, as a. joe said ti perfectly, it is a win-win situation for you!

Stryder,<br /><br />Please realize there are differences between every therapist, clinic, and setting; and there is overlap between the two professions. On an inpatient setting (in hospital) PT will focus more on getting in and out of bed, balance, walking, and exercises. OT focuses on activities of living such as dressing bathing eating. They also focus on perceptual and fine motor (buttoning, tying shoes) activities. OT?s often make splints for the hands or the arm. <br /><br />In out patient, some clinics have OT?s who specialize in hand treatments (PT?s can specialize too). PT?s treat the whole person and we tend to specialize in treatment of the spine.<br /><br />I would recommend that you observe both professions. Many hospitals and private clinics will allow students to observe. I think this is the best way you can get a feel for both professions and decide which you would enjoy the most!<br /><br />Kathy